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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon

By Ekombe Hau -
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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Every time a new year comes close, something in me start feeling that weird mix of excitement and heaviness. Maybe you know the feeling too—like you’re standing at this invisible doorway. One foot in the old year (the stuff you want to forget but somehow still sticks to you like stubborn glue), and the other foot stepping into something you still can’t see clearly. And sometimes you’re hopeful, sometimes you’re scared, sometimes you’re… well, both at the same time. I was thinking about all that while reading some Scriptures again, and honestly, it hit me harder this year. Maybe because life been kinda loud lately, or maybe because I’m tired of pretending everything always makes sense. But the Bible does this thing, right? It sneaks into the parts of your heart you thought you cleaned up, and suddenly you realize God is trying to talk to you again. Even if it feels like you weren’t exactly listening. S...
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Matthew Chapter 6 – Commentary and Explanation

By Ekombe Hau -

Matthew Chapter 6 – Commentary and Explanation


Photo by Szilvia Basso on Unsplash


When we open our Bibles and sit with Matthew Chapter 6, we find ourselves right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. This chapter is one of those powerful, heart-probing parts of Scripture where Jesus takes us deeper than the surface. He’s not only teaching rules or outward religion here, He’s pulling back the curtain on what real righteousness looks like, the kind that flows from inside a transformed heart.

Now if you read through Matthew 6, you’ll see three big themes pop out: giving to the needy, prayer (with the Lord’s Prayer right in the middle), and fasting. But it doesn’t stop there. Jesus also talks about treasure in heaven, the eye being the lamp of the body, and He ends with that famous part about not worrying, because our Father knows what we need.

This chapter, in so many ways, is about sincerity. About doing things not to be seen by others, not to impress, but to live before God’s eyes alone. Let’s walk slowly through it together, section by section, and see what it’s telling us for our lives today.

Giving to the Needy (Matthew 6:1–4)

Jesus begins with a warning. “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.” That line hits us right away. Because so much of human nature is about being noticed. We want others to see our good works, our kindness, our generosity. But Jesus says if we do it for the praise of people, that’s all the reward we’ll get.

He’s not saying don’t give. No, giving is assumed. The question is how you give and why you give. He says don’t announce it with trumpets like the hypocrites. Instead, give in secret. Let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing. And then, your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

I find that image so challenging. Can I give quietly without letting pride slip in? Even in my mind, I sometimes pat myself on the back. Jesus is going for the heart here. Giving isn’t about recognition, it’s about love. It’s about worship.

Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5–15)

Next, He moves into prayer. And again, He says the same thing: don’t do it for show. Don’t stand on the street corners praying loud just so people think you’re spiritual. Go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen.

That doesn’t mean public prayer is wrong. It’s about the motive. Are we praying for God’s ears, or for people’s eyes?

Then Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer. It’s not meant as just words to repeat (though repeating it is fine too). It’s more like a model. A framework for how prayer should look.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Prayer starts with God, not us. With worship. With remembering who He is.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Here’s surrender. Laying down our plans and saying, “Lord, I want Your will.”

Give us this day our daily bread. Simple dependence. Not a month’s supply, not abundance, just enough for today.

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. A heart check. Am I forgiving? Or am I holding grudges while asking God for mercy?

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. God is our protector. We need His strength in this spiritual battle.

It’s short. Simple. No babbling. Jesus makes it clear: prayer is not about length or fancy words. It’s about real, humble connection with our Father.

And He circles back to forgiveness. If you forgive others, your heavenly Father will forgive you. If not, neither will He forgive you. That’s heavy. But it shows how central forgiveness is in God’s kingdom.

Fasting (Matthew 6:16–18)

After prayer comes fasting. Again, the theme repeats: don’t make a show. Don’t walk around looking gloomy so people will ask what’s wrong. Don’t draw attention to your sacrifice. Instead, wash your face, look normal, and fast in secret. Then your Father will see, and He will reward.

Notice the pattern: giving, praying, fasting. These are all spiritual disciplines. They’re good, they’re commanded even. But in each case, Jesus warns against hypocrisy. The problem isn’t the act. The problem is the audience. If we’re doing it for men, the reward stops there. If we’re doing it for God, it goes deeper.

Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19–24)

Now Jesus shifts gears, but not completely. He talks about treasure. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.” Earthly things don’t last. They break. They rot. They get stolen.

But treasures in heaven? Those are eternal. When we give, when we love, when we live for God’s kingdom, we’re storing treasure where nothing can touch it.

And then that famous line: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This is so true. What I value most shows where my heart is pointing. If money is my treasure, my heart will chase money. If God is my treasure, my heart will chase Him.

He also speaks about the eye being the lamp of the body. A good eye fills the body with light, a bad eye fills it with darkness. Some scholars think this means generosity versus greed. A generous eye lets in light. A stingy, greedy eye darkens everything.

Finally, He says you can’t serve two masters. You can’t serve both God and money. That’s one of the hardest truths for modern life. We try so hard to balance it, but Jesus is blunt: it’s either one or the other.

Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25–34)

The chapter closes with a long section on worry. Honestly, I think Jesus knew how much people struggle with this. He says don’t worry about your life—what you’ll eat, drink, or wear. Life is more than food and clothes.

He gives examples. Look at the birds. They don’t sow or reap or store away, yet God feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? Look at the lilies. They don’t labor, yet God dresses them more beautifully than Solomon in all his glory.

Worry doesn’t add a single hour to our lives. It doesn’t help. Instead, Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

That’s the core: put God first. Trust Him. Don’t get consumed by tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Personal Reflections

Matthew 6 really cuts deep. It asks me questions I don’t always want to face. Why am I doing the good things I do? Is it for applause, or for God’s glory? When I pray, do I just babble, or am I connecting with my Father? Do I forgive as I want to be forgiven?

And then there’s the part about money and worry. Honestly, this is where I get challenged the most. It’s easy to say, “I trust God,” but when bills come or the future feels uncertain, worry creeps in. Jesus calls me back to faith. To look at the birds, the flowers, to remember God cares.

It’s not about being careless. We still work, plan, and steward. But it’s about where my heart rests. Does it rest in control, or in God?

Application for Today

So how do we live out Matthew 6 today? A few practical thoughts:

  1. Check motives regularly. Before giving, praying, or fasting, pause and ask: who am I doing this for?

  2. Practice secret devotion. Try giving in ways no one knows. Pray in hidden moments. Fast without announcing it. Build that secret history with God.

  3. Re-center prayer. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Start with worship. Surrender your will. Ask for daily needs. Forgive and seek forgiveness.

  4. Loosen the grip on money. Practice generosity. Invest in eternal treasure. Remember, you can’t take it with you.

  5. Fight worry with trust. When anxiety rises, look at creation. Remind yourself: if God feeds the birds and clothes the lilies, He will take care of you.

Closing Thoughts

Matthew Chapter 6 is not just nice teaching. It’s revolutionary. It calls us to live for an audience of One. To let our devotion be real, not a performance. To trust God with our needs and focus on His kingdom.

And maybe that’s the hardest part—it’s so easy to live for people’s eyes, or to cling to money, or to worry about tomorrow. But Jesus invites us into freedom. A life where we can breathe, rest, and walk with our Father in secret, knowing He sees, He cares, and He rewards.

If we take these words seriously, they’ll reshape our priorities. They’ll expose our motives. They’ll lead us into deeper intimacy with God.

And isn’t that what the Christian life is about? Not show. Not performance. But real relationship with our heavenly Father.

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